Sandals



Dec. 13, 1966 I SADAO FUKUOKA 3,290,802

- SANDALS Filed March 20, 1964 mm: m

INVENTOR.

S. Fu kuoku Attorneys United States Patent 3,290,802 SANDALS Sadao Fukuoka, 20 Minami Fukushima,

Tokushima, Japan Filed Mar. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 353,374 1 Claim. (Cl. 36-115) This invention relates to improvements in sandals, and more particularly to a sandal having novel means therein to prevent its inadvertent removal from a wearers foot.

Sandals of the type herein concerned are used for beach and bath wear by both men and women, and are becoming increasingly popular. Such sandals are comfortable to Wear, but, unfortunately, conventional sandals have a tendency to slip off the wearers foot, which is disconcerting and annoying. With this in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel sandal construction including simple, integral means to prevent its inadvertent removal from a wearers foot.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a sandal having a novel cross strap which fits over the users instep and which is specially designed to frictionally engage the wearers foot to prevent it from being inadvertently withdrawn from said sandal.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide an improved sandal which is attractive in appearance, comfortable, relatively inexpensive in design and construction, and which is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention comprises the improved sandal described in the following specification, and all equivalents thereof, and any and all changes or modifications therein which may come within the spirit of said invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved sandal;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of said sandal;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the novel cross strap characterizing the present construction, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing a wearers foot positioned in the sandal.

Referring now more particularly 'to the drawing, it will be seen that the present sandal includes a flat sole 10, formed of rubber, plastic, or any other suitable material, and which is preferably provided with a crepe-type upper surface which is comfortable and yet provides frictional engagement to prevent the users foot from sliding thereon.

Mounted in and projecting upwardly from the forward portion of the sandal is an upright strap member 15, hereinafter referred to as the toe strap, which is molded of plastic or other suitable flexible and pliable material, and which is anchored to the sole at the point 16, as shown. Said upright strap member is designed to fit between the wearers big toe and his second toe, and formed integrally on the upper end thereof and diverging rearwardly are a pair of side straps 12 and 13. Said side straps are molded of flexible plastic material, and, as will be seen in FIG. 1, said strap members are bowed outwardly and are anchored to the sole at points 14 spaced from the rearward end thereof. Said diverging side straps 12 and 13 form a V-type strap design, as illustrated, and ext-ending therebetween intermediate their length is the novel, specially-designed cross strap 18 featured in the present invention.

Said cross strap 18 is molded of flexible elastic material, and, as will be seen in FIG. 3, said strap is substantially eliptical in cross section, being provided with convex outer and inner surfaces. Because of its flexible and elastic nature said cross strap is adapted to be stretched over a wearers instep, as shown in FIG. 4, and due to the convex inner surface thereof said strap frictionally engages the instep to restrict any tendency of the foot 19 to pull rearwardly and outwardly of the sandal. The inner face of said strap is smooth, as shown in FIG. 3, and does not damage or bruise the foot.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved sandal construction which is a definite advancement in the art. With the present sandal the possibility of the wearers foot slipping out is minimized, and yet the sandal is comfortable and easy to put on, or remove. Moreover, the sandal is unique and attractive in appearance, and it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. It is to be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited and confined to a sandal exactly as described and illustrated in the drawing. It is contemplated, for example, that changes could be made in either the appearance or structure without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to include herein not only the illustrated structure but also any and all modifications or changes therein as may come within the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is:

A sandal for a users foot, comprising: a sole having a forward toe end and having a rearward heel end; a toe strap projecting upwardly from said sole adjacent the forward end thereof, said toe strap being adapted to project upwardly between two of the wearers toes; a pair of flexible side straps which are elliptical in cross section formed as a unitary one-piece construction with the upper end of said toe strap and diverging rearwardly therefrom, the rearward ends of said side straps being fastened to the rearward portion of said sole adjacent the side edges thereof forwardly of said sole heel end; a cross strap formed of a flexible and elastic material having frictional adherence properties formed as a unitary onepiece construction with and extending between said diverging side straps and positioned to stretch across a wearers instep, said cross strlap being of elliptical cross section to provide a convex undersurface adapted to frictionally engage the wearers instep to prevent the inadvertent withdrawal of his foot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,185,762 1/1940 Cox 368.1 2,390,685 12/1945 Benson 3611.5 2,758,395 8/1956 Miyaji 3611.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 784,038 10/1957 Great Britain.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

